How will world machine demand grow? In an exclusive study by Ucima, forecasts for the next three years.

Early November 2015, Ucima - Italian Association of Automatic Packing and Wrapping Machine Builders presented the results of a prospective study made by the Ucima Study Center, one of a kind for its completeness in data and market features.

Centered on global demand for packaging machinery - broken down region by region, type of machines and industries served - the report offers a forecast for the run of the industry that between 2015 and 2018 will, as it states, grow on average by 4.9% per annum.
Practically speaking it provides a useful tool that allows each company to make ‘made-to-measure’ three-year forecasts considering their specific production and commercial situation.

The value. According to the study, at the end of the next three years the value of the world market will reach 40.3 billion euros, with an estimated annual growth of 4.9%.
The market outlets. As for the outlet sectors, globally the most significant growth will be registered by the machines for the cosmetics industry (+ 6.6%), followed by machinery for the chemical industry (+ 5.4%) and those for food (+ 5.2%). In absolute terms however food will remain the main “customer sector”, generating 31.8% of total demand, amounting to 12.8 billion euros in absolute terms, followed by the beverage industry, with 31.5%, amounting to 12.7 billion euros.

Types. The demand per type of machines only partially reflects that of the customer sector. The largest percentage of increases in the three-year period  are in fact registered by winding-wrapping (+ 5.6%), followed by filling (+ 5.2%) and labelling machines (+5.0%).

Markets. Growth will be driven by demand from Asia and Africa-Oceania (+ 7.1%) followed by Latin America (+ 5.6%).
The EU will grow by 3% to a total market value of 10.7 billion euros, with machines for the cosmetics industry growing by 4.8%, those for food of 4.1% and those for the chemical industry by 3.5%.
As for Italy, exports of Italian machinery will grow on average according to world growth, but to above-average figures in the EU (+ 3.2%), North America (+ 4.6%), Africa and Oceania (+ 7.7%).
In particular, Italian exports will register higher percentage growth rates in Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Peru, Indonesia, Malaysia, Algeria, Turkey and Iran.